Maharashtra: Amit Shah To Present Report On President's Rule; Congress-NCP Meeting Today

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will present a report on the President's Rule in Maharashtra in Rajya Sabha on the third day of the Winter Session. Meanwhile, Senior leaders of the Congress and NCP will meet at Sharad Pawar’s residence in New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss government formation with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. The President's rule was imposed in the state of Maharashtra on November 12 after Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari told the Centre that despite his efforts no party could assure him provide a stable government. Shiv Sena, at that time, had accused the Governor of not giving it enough time to show its ability to form a new goverment.

Since, then Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress have been locked in discussions over formation of the new government with reports suggesting that they have agreed on a common minimum programme (CMP). However, despite having drafted the common minimum program, both the Congress and the NCP are keeping their cards close to chest. 

Addressing a press conference after his meeting with the Congress persident in Delhi, Pawar said there was no discussion on a common minimum programme (CMP) during the talks. However, sources have said that the Congress and the NCP have been having detailed discussions on the CMP and the way forward for a possible tie-up with the ideologically opposite party Shiv Sena.

Meanwhile, according to reports, Congress MLAs in Maharashtra are planning to write to their party’s central leadership seeking an early decision.

The meeting at Pawar’s residence is expected to be attended by NCP’s Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, Sunil atkare, Chhagan Bhujbal and Jayant Patil, while the Congress will be represented by Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge, Prithviraj Chavan, Ashok Chavan and state Congress president Balasaheb Thorat.

On Tuesday, a day after holding closed-door talks with Pawar, Congress president Sonia Gandhi met senior party leaders Patel, Kharge, AK Antony and KC Venugopal to discuss the political situation in the state.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has called a meeting of party MLAs to discuss the future course of action on 22nd November at his residence Matoshree.On Monday, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut met Pawar and exuded confidence that the state would soon get a government led by his party.

In the October 21 Maharashtra polls, the BJP-Sena saffron alliance secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats respectively in the 288-member Assembly. The Congress and the NCP won 44 and 54 seats respectively. However, BJP and Shiv Sena later fell out over issues like the chief minister's post and power-sharing arrangement.